Follow up to 3 Things to know about Asbestos and your Home

Recently, Jacy Marmaduke wrote an article in the Fort Collins Coloradoan identifying 3 things to know about Asbestos and your home. The 3 items she identified are 1) “The EPA tried to ban most uses of asbestos a long time ago because exposure is proven to be a health hazard.” 2) “Asbestos comes in many forms.” 3) “You don’t have to obliterate all traces of asbestos from your home.” These are certainly good items to remain aware of and we would like to add a little more commentary to those thoughts:

1) Not only has asbestos exposure has been proven to be a health hazard, but it is important to note that there is no minimum level of exposure below which exposure is acceptable and does not pose risks. In many cases, any complications from exposure may not show up for many years.

2) Not only is asbestos found in many different forms, but asbestos fibers are separated into 2 different mineralogical categories. These two categories are serpentine and amphibole. Although both categories are known to have detrimental effects on human health, generally the amphibole group of minerals is considered to be more hazardous. Chrysotile resides within the serpentine category and is estimated to encompass 90% – 95% of all asbestos used in products in the US.

3) Asbestos fibers are dangerous when ingested, generally either through breathing or swallowing. Therefore, if the asbestos fibers are contained in some product and not released to the environment creating an opportunity to ingest them they can most likely be left in place. This is referred as the “friability” of the product.

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One Comment

I appreciate how you say that there is no minimum level of exposure to asbestos. It would make sense that if this is the case you would want it completely removed. My sister recently found asbestos in her attic, so she’ll have to check with a reputable removal service to take care of it.